I Have An Idea For The Next GOP Photo-Shopper

How about Steve Beshear in an adult diaper and a rain coat, headed to the Kentucky Casino?

Central Kentucky Can't Afford For Lexington To Be A Sanctuary City

Now that Lexington police are practicing catch-and-release with illegal aliens who break local laws, the illegal immigration issue will soon take on a new dimension that will impact all of central Kentucky.

As word gets out that Lexington is a sanctuary for undocumented criminals -- and no, I'm not talking about farm workers without visas -- the problem will grow much worse than illegals clogging up our hospitals and courthouses.

I'm talking about gang activity.

Immigrant gangs are already present in the Cardinal Valley area of Lexington. As their activities become more widespread, "guest workers" who are only trying to better themselves and their families will get killed in the backlash.

For the safety of central Kentuckians, it is just about time to run off our local illegal immigrants.

Herald Leader's Back-To-School Tax

The editors of the Lexington Herald Leader are upset about taxes again.

This morning they -- predictably -- joined the Fayette County School District in complaining that property taxes aren't high enough to pay for school renovation.

Fayette County ranks 54th out of 176 school districts in the rate of property tax dedicated to schools.

Some of the schools schedulted (sic) for renovation were built early in the last century. None have been renovated in the last quarter-century.

Given that school financial accountability is so lacking in Kentucky, we should really look at spending first. And repealing the prevailing wage law in Kentucky would be a good second step.

Special Session Redux

Legislative leaders agree the special session will take about five days. Any guesses on when or if extra projects and domestic partner benefits get added to the call?

Macaca II For Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani says if he weren't running for president himself, he would support Sen. John McCain.

Bell County Says No To Casinos

Governor Fletcher's campaign sent out a release this afternoon touting Bell County Fiscal Court's resolution to reject casinos.

This is a good thing and other counties will surely follow suit.

Folks, this is your vote on casinos. And the people who are upset about this need to move fast to escape Steve Beshear's slavish devotion to out-of-state casino operators.

Maybe the Republican Party of Kentucky should send out doctored pictures of Steve Beshear's head pasted on top of Princess Leia's body when she was Jabba the Hutt's slave on Tatooine.

Rudy Giuliani's Macaca Moment

This comment about his time at ground zero will end the Giuliani campaign:

CYA: Why The FCDC Is Releasing Videos

The ongoing Department of Justice investigation into prisoner abuse at the Fayette County Detention Center has City Hall so rattled they are releasing to the media internal video of a by-the-book takedown of a mouthy inmate in a high-profile arrest.

Will this provide sufficient cover to the still-employed miscreants at the jail and their enablers at City Hall when the feds come in to make their arrests?

No. And it isn't even a good try.

Bush Veto Will Save Kentucky $600 Million

Kentucky would lose more money than any other state but Florida over the next five years under the U.S. Senate's S-CHIP expansion plan, according to a Heritage Foundation report.

The Jonathan Miller Act Of 2008

Senator Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown) is putting together a bill to shut down the political rest area known as the state treasurer's office.

State Allows Some Medical Proliferation

Kentucky's certificate of need laws give the state the power to decide who needs how much supply of what medical service.

According to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, more health providers leads to higher healthcare prices.

The purpose of Kentucky's Certificate of Need process is to prevent the proliferation of health care facilities, health services and major medical equipment which increases the cost of quality health care in the commonwealth.

It will be interesting to see how much of an increase Louisville hospital patients will suffer now that the state has has agreed to allow Jewish Hospital to add 75 beds.

As any freshman economics student quickly learns, increased supply causes lower prices.

While we are at it, could we get the CHFS to victimize Jessamine County just a little bit? We don't have a hospital at all. Frankly, when it comes to the economic theory of health care bureaucrats in Frankfort versus the real world, it looks like Kentucky could use a lot more of this proliferation stuff.

Not Good: Keeping Merit Hiring On The Front Page

Governor Fletcher's campaign manager was quick again today to declare victory in the ongoing merit hiring scandal when the Executive Branch Ethics Commission ended its investigation into the Governor's involvement.

"This letter is being released as further evidence that the (Attorney General Greg) Stumbo led witch-hunt was pure political opportunism that is now being trumpeted by Steve Beshear,” said Marty Ryall, campaign manager for Fletcher, in a news release.

Does anyone really think this is going to win back any support for the Governor's campaign?

Given that the Ethics Commission apparently only seems to have been able to find actionable fault with former administration officials who supported Anne Northup in the primary, I would have to guess it won't.

Same Old Education Spin In Kentucky

The ACT has issued their state-by-state average test scores and the Lexington Herald Leader dutifully marched out and interviewed state education commissioner Kevin Noland, who was more than happy to take credit for the slight increase.

"The ACT results are valuable because they provide another means for Kentucky's secondary educators to focus attention on specific areas," said Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Noland. "Kentucky's students are making progress, and that is most evident when we look at long-term trends."

What the bureacrats and their adoring fans in the MSM don't want you to know is the statewide statistics include private and home-schooled students. A breakout of those numbers will be available soon. They will likely show -- again -- an actual decrease among public school students and the media will ignore the real story -- again.

More Bad -- But Fixable -- KDE News

The Bluegrass Institute's Dick Innes reports the education testing people at ACT will introduce this fall a testing solution Kentucky desperately needs, but that education bureaucrats will resist.

ACT will have "a coordinated set of curriculum outlines for about 16 college preparation courses and corresponding end of course exams," Innes said. "Right now, the Kentucky Department of Education is very slowly trying to create end of course exams in just a couple of subjects."

Innes is the education analyst for the Bluegrass Institute.

Someone in the legislature should step forward as an education leader and force the KDE to abandon tests they can manipulate in favor of those that will better serve our children.

Jack Conway, Kentucky's Angry Liberal Pol

Anti-business, pandering redistributionist, and loud. If Conway didn't look the part, he would be a laughingstock.

Yellow Jacket Tuesday Open Thread

I'm taking my son to Atlanta for college on Tuesday. Talk to you Wednesday!

Hey Coach, Put Richie In

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer gets discounted as a conservative leader because of his athletic career at UK and his eastern Kentucky roots. But an emerging strategy for a bold fall campaign could change that dramatically.

Early polling shows Farmer continuing his prolific voter attraction from 2003 and extending it this fall against a dreadful Democratic nominee who will be lucky to stay out of jail. Farmer's many accomplishments in office have given him quite a story to tell. What he does next could have a lasting, positive impact on the state.

"The Stress Of Success"

Massachusetts officials admit to the Boston Globe they are losing over half of the applications mailed to them for the state's new socialized medicine plan.

Thomas Dehner, the state's Medicaid director, calls it "the stress of success."

Does Kentucky really want to go through this mess again? Steve Beshear thinks so and Governor Fletcher has made troubling comments recently.

A little common sense on health care regulation shouldn't be so hard to muster. We keep trying more and more regulation and keep getting negative results. I guess we can keep doing that until we bankrupt the state.

Liberty, Security, Or Neither?

Anti-war activists like to co-opt the old quote about people willing to trade their liberty for their security deserving neither when opposing federal efforts to track domestic terrorist activity.

The same people like to decry the plight of the poor, overworked low wage American worker who just needs a union to fight off "the man" for him. But it seems we have more evidence that poverty would diminish on its own if more people simply turned off the television and went to work.

Bring On The Former Presidential Candidates

It is time for failing presidential campaigns to start ending. Today it is former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. With any luck, Sen. John McCain will be next.